Move over Panera, there's a new chicken and broccoli cheddar soup in town! This super creamy chicken and broccoli cheddar soup is perfect for a chilly night in winter. It's packed with flavor thanks to freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, fresh broccoli, carrots, and chicken. This stick-to-your-ribs creamy soup is the ultimate comfort food during the colder months.
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I think we all know by now I'm a soup girl, through and through. From potato leek soup to butternut squash cauliflower soup, I love a good soup! This chicken and broccoli cheddar soup is just as simple as my other soup recipes.
The aromatics are softened in a large pot before flour and spices are added. The chopped broccoli and carrots are simmered in the stock and spices before being pureed, then we added grated cheddar cheese and cooked chicken!
This broccoli cheddar chicken soup is perfect if you've got some leftover rotisserie chicken, but you can also quickly pan fry some chicken breasts and add it to the soup too.
Why I love this recipe!
- Cozy Comforting Soup: this soup is the ultimate comfort food. It's perfect for Winter or any cold day.
- Simple to Make: this is a seriously easy recipe. The hardest part is probably cooking the chicken if you don't already have some leftover shredded chicken in your fridge.
Grab your ingredients
- Broccoli: you'll need one large head of broccoli and then chop it into florets. Cut it into small pieces so it cooks more evenly in the stock.
- Carrots: I like adding carrots to my soups for a bit of sweetness, plus it helps gives us more of an orange color.
- Grated Cheddar Cheese: I like using sharp cheddar cheese, but it's up to you! If you can, try to use a block of cheddar cheese and grate it yourself. Already shredded cheese has anti-caking agents on it, so it'll change the texture of the soup.
- Aromatics: our aromatics (which is what helps give the base flavor of a soup, but not the main ingredient) are onion and garlic. It's going to build flavor. I'm using garlic cloves and a yellow onion.
- Chicken: I'm using fresh chicken breasts and cooking them in a saucepan. You can also use shredded rotisserie chicken or leave it out.
- Spices: I'm adding a mixture of smoked paprika, mustard powder, and salt and black pepper.
- All Purpose Flour: I'm adding flour to the melted butter to create a roux. A roux, a mixture of flour and fat (in this case, butter), is going to help thicken up the soup.
- Milk: I'm using whole milk, but you can swap it out for semi-skimmed milk or even half and half. I've also tested this recipe with half milk and half heavy cream which also worked, giving it a super creamy texture.
- Stock: I've used chicken stock, but you can also use vegetable stock, chicken broth, or vegetable broth.
Some Substitutions You Can Make
- Shredded Chicken: you can shred a rotisserie chicken and add that to the soup, or leave out the chicken entirely.
- Nutmeg: feel free to swap out the paprika and mustard powder for a pinch of nutmeg instead.
How to Make This Recipe
- Step 1: In a Dutch oven, large pot or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic, cooking until translucent and soft.
- Step 2: Stir in the flour along with the salt, pepper, paprika and mustard powder. Stir until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Step 3: Slowly pour in the milk to the flour mixture while stirring. Let the milk thicken, then pour in the stock.
- Step 4: Pour in the broccoli florets and carrots. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to medium-low and let it cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.
- Step 5: While the soup cooks, cook your chicken (unless you're using a rotisserie chicken). Season two chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive in a pan over medium heat and cook, uncovered until browned on one side (about 8 minutes). Flip the chicken breasts and cook until browned on the other side and cooked through (another 8-10 minutes). Depending on your stove and the thickness of the chicken, you may need more time! Remove the chicken and let cool slightly.
- Step 6: Puree your soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender. If using a regular blender, let the soup cool slightly before blending, otherwise your blender might explode (yikes). If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can leave it as is.
- Step 5: Over low heat, slowly stir in the shredded cheese. Stir until completely melted.
- Step 6: Slice your cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir the chicken pieces into the soup. Season to taste and enjoy with an extra helping of shredded cheese on top of the soup!
My Top Soup Tips
- Cooking Chicken: please feel free to cook chicken however you like it (and I mean method, I'm not talking about a medium-rare chicken here!). I personally like pan frying chicken breast because I find it easiest, but you can also bake it in the oven or just shred a rotisserie chicken.
- Cheese: my soup isn't overly orange or yellow because I'm using an English sharp cheddar. Feel free to use your favorite cheddar cheese, but just note that it will impact the color of the soup!
- Soup Consistency: I'm a smooth soup lover, so I ended up blending this chicken broccoli cheese soup in my blender to get it extra smooth and silky. You can have the soup chunkier if you prefer, or you can add more stock or broth to make the soup thinner.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: a soup without bread is like.. I can't think of a particular saying, but you know what I mean - it's essential! I love having this with some crusty bread, but it's also delish with my homemade brioche croutons or garlic dinner rolls. And hey, if you're a bread bowl lover, then this is the best broccoli cheddar soup to put in there!
- Cozy Dessert: after serving a bowl of this chicken and broccoli cheddar soup, enjoy a classic brown butter snickerdoodle! The ultimate cozy combo.
Storage & Freezing
Let the soup cool completely, then store in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove until warmed up.
To freeze leftover soup, I love using Souper Cubes so I can freeze them in individual portions, but you can also use freezer-safe containers. Let thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stove.
Made This Recipe?
Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! You can tag me on Instagram @alpineella or follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!
Thank you!
Ella
Recipe
Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot
- Knife
- Chopping Board
- Vegetable Peeler
- Spoon
- blender
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) Butter
- 1 Small Onion diced
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- ¼ cup (30 grams) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cups (345 ml) Whole Milk
- 2 ½ cups (600 ml ) Chicken Stock
- 4 cups (400 grams) Broccoli chopped
- 1 Large Carrot peeled and chopped
- 8 oz (226.8 g) Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Powder
- 2 Chicken Breasts replace with shredded rotisserie chicken
Ella's Baking Tip!Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the best results!
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium heat.4 tablespoons (56 grams) Butter
- Once melted, add the chopped onions and garlic, cooking until the onion has softened and turns translucent.1 Small Onion, 3 Garlic Cloves
- Stir the flour along with the salt, pepper, mustard powder, and smoked paprika in until it's turned golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.Salt, Black Pepper, ¼ cup (30 grams) All-Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika, ½ teaspoon Mustard Powder
- Slowly pour in milk while stirring. Let it thicken, then pour in the broth.1 ½ cups (345 ml) Whole Milk, 2 ½ cups (600 ml ) Chicken Stock
- Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick.
- Add the chopped broccoli and carrot to the soup and stir everything together.4 cups (400 grams) Broccoli, 1 Large Carrot
- Bring the soup to a simmer, then turn the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
- While this simmers, cook your chicken. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. I prefer to pan fry chicken in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, 8 minutes on one side until browned, then flip it over and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Set aside while you go back to your soup.2 Chicken Breasts
- If you want, now you can puree the soup using an immersion blender! Or if you prefer a chunkier soup, leave it as is.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese until smooth. I recommend adding the cheese a bit at a time, stirring until melted, then adding more cheese.8 oz (226.8 g) Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Chop up your chicken and stir it in (or stir in shredded rotisserie chicken). Let the cook for a few minutes so the chicken is warm. Season to taste, you may want to add more salt or pepper.
- Serve in bowls and top with extra shredded cheese if you wish!
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Notes
Blending: when blending, let the soup cool before placing in the blender (or it might explode). You can always use an immersion blender in the pot.
Seasonings: adjust the herbs and spices according to what you like!
Croutons: I love serving this soup with homemade brioche croutons.
Chicken: I prefer pan-frying my chicken, but you can also bake it in the oven or use a shredded rotisserie chicken.
Storage: Store the cooled soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove until warm.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can see what you made!
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